I think they should stop calling anything less than a 1000 miles in diameter or with an inconsistent orbit a "moon". They're just asteroids probably wandering out of the asteroid belt and getting picked up by Jupiter every now and then. Some of them might only slingshot around the gas giant for a pass or two before hurling out into space.

The planet has rings too. Who's to say that these space pebbles aren't just roaming ring dust getting caught up in the funky gravitational action of all the other debris around there.

Ganymede, Europa, Io, Callisto--THOSE are moons. These specs of sand are just space junk.

CapnKRUNCH:Why use any term at all when you can just use its definition instead?

Since the article is targeted at the general reader, not the astronomic community, a little education in the terminology would be useful. If you want to see big words without definitions right after read academic publications and if you don't want the big words read USA Today.

You know, if you have to explain what the "big scientific" word means in the same sentence, what's the point?

I accelerated, traveling faster in a forward direction.I mastecated some food, chewing the food with my teeth.The girl spun counter-clockwise, spinning from her right to her left

These articles are not just to inform, but to educate. Also, you can acclerate, while slowing down, going backwards. Any change in velocity is an acceleration. Depending on the point of view, the girl is spinning either clockwise or anti-clockwise.

Astronomers can't decide whether pluto is a planet. Moon might be hard do define. Take Saturn. In it's rings there are millions of chunks. If we took a close enough look, I bet we would find hundreds mile sized "moons".